Refrigerating unit



Sept. 15, 1931. J. R. REPLOGLE REFRIGERATING UNIT Original Filed June 6, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 15, 1931. J. R. REPLOGLE 7 1,823,003

REFRIGERATING UNIT Original Filed June e, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllhl g WW "In By 90% "F 4 Sept. 15, 1931. J. R. REPLOGLE REFRIGERATING UNIT Original Filed June 6, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 15, 1931. J. R. REPLOGLE REFRIGERATING UNIT Original Filed June '6, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES leg 3,003.

PATENT OFFICE) JOHN B. BEPLOGLE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE GUARDIAN TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO nnrnrcnnarmo UNIT Original application filed June 6, 1921,8eria1 No. 475,344, and in Canada February 11, 1922. Divided and this application filed May 12, 1927. Serial 110.190,?70.

This invention relates to mechanical refrigeration apparatus, and more particularly to that type which is adapted to cool air; the present application being a division of [f my co ending-application Serial No. 475,344,

filed une 6, 1921. p

One object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangement of the heat absorbing parts of such an apparatus with respect to a cooling chamber through which the air to be cooled circulates.

Another object is to provide a vaporizer having as a part thereof improved means for absorbing heat from the air to be cooled. Other objects more or less incidental or .ancillary to the foregoing will be apparent to those skilled in the art from an examination of the following description taken in,

connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: 4

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my refrigeration apparatus, showing the enclosing casing in section.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, also showing the enclosing casing in section.

Fig.

vaporizer expansion chamber, some of the parts being broken away and others in sec-. tion.

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of the heat absorbing fins with respectto the refrigerant circulating tubes.

Fig. 5-is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of the device.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail View showing the arrangementof heat absorbing fins used in the modified construction shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of a blank from which the fins disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6 are formed.

In the construction illustrated, I have shown my invention as applied to a portable mechanical refrigeration unit, the purpose of which is to cool and circulate the air of any enclosed space, such as the cold storage rooms of meat shops, retail stores and the like. I The unit consists essentially in a gas liquesystem. The vaporizer consists of an ex- 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the tying means 1, a vaporizer or heat absorbing means 2, and a sheet metal enclosing casing 3. The gas liquefying means consists 1n 2. motor 4 which operates a compressor located within the casing 5 and a water cooled condenser indicated at 6, into which the compressor discharges. This gas liquefying means 1 is operatively connected with the vaporizer 2 to form a closedrrefrigeration pansion chamber or header 7 with depending refrigerant circulating tubes 8 having heat absorbing plates or fins 9 attached thereto. The casing 3 is designed to enclose the refrigeration system and is adapted to be placed in a cooling room or any enclosed space where a low temperature is desired.

' In order that the atmosphere in all parts of the cooling room shall be maintained at a uniform constant temperature, a fan for 70 agitating and circulating the air is provided.

This fan is so arranged that it directs the air across the vaporizer whereby the air is cooled.. It is not necessary, however, that the fan be run continuously in order to maintain the room at a. predetermined tempera' ture. A thermostat is provided for automatically starting and stopping the fan in order to maintain the room at the required temperature. a

- As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the electric fan 10 ismounted on the casing 3 directly above the 'air inlet opening 11, in the top wall of the casing 3 in any suitable manner. A deflector plate 12 directs the air across the vapor- 1zer.

Thermally operated means are employed to control the operation of the fan. A thermostat 14 is mounted in any convenient manner either on the casing 3 or at any convenient point within the enclosure in which the unit is employed. As shownin Fig. 1 it is mounted on 'a plate 15 attached to one side wall of the casing. The thermostat is arranged to open and close the switch for operating the electric fan. The thermostat may be adjusted in the usual manner to operate at any desirable predetermined temperatures. Since the details of the thermo 10! stat constitute no part of my invention, those details are notherein described. 2

Referring in further detail to the construction briefly described above, the sheet metal casing 3 is formed with top, front, back and end walls 16, 17,18 and 19 respectively, which are secured together in any suitable manner as by means of the bolts, so that one or more sides may be readily removed to permit access to the interior thereof. This casing is secured to the base member 20 by means of suitable angle bars 21. As shown, the base member is provided with the air outlet opening 22 to permit cool air, from around the vaporizer, to escape to the outside room or enclosure so as to cool' the same.

Enclosed within this casing, as for example at the left side thereof and resting on the base member 20 is the'gas liquefying means or motor-compressor-condenser unit 1. This unit is provided with suitable flexible supports 23 so as to minimize the effect of any vibration of the working parts. In

order to prevent any noise made by the motorcompressor-condenser unit 1 from being 'heard and to prevent undue heat transfer,

this unit is isolated from the vaporizer 2 by means of the housing 24. This housing may be made of any suitable material, preferably of heat insulating, material, and the walls are connected together in any suitable manner as by means of the brackets 25. The bottom wall of this housing is formed from sheet metal bent to proper form to constitute an oil receptacle or pan 26. In order to conserve material, the top wall of this housing 24 may be provided with an aperture through which the upper portion of the condenser 6 may extend. This aperture is closed .by a plate 27.

The motor-compressor-condenser unit 1 comprises a motor 4 the armature of which is mounted on a vertical shaft 28 which carries a worm 29 which meshes with a worm wheel 30 keyed to the extended end 31 of the crankshaft of a compressor located within the casing 5. The water cooled condenser 6 is secured to the discharge end, of this compressor. A casing 32 is provided for en-- closing the gearing, just described, that -transmits the power from the motor to the a conduit 34 to the refrigerant inlet of thesaid vaporizer, said conduit being adapted to conduct liquidrefrigerant to the vaporizer from the cond nser. suitable refrigerant can be employed far as some ber 7. Bars 38 are supported on the saddles 37 at each side of the chamber 7. Secured to the bars 38 at each end thereof are loops 39 which engage beneath the chamber 7 at each end thereof to support the same.

It will be noted that deflector or air guiding plate 12 and the side wall 40 of the housing 24 nearest the vaporizer form one side wall of a refrigerating or cooling chamber 41. The remaining walls of this chamber are formed by the top wall 16, the front wall 17, the' back Wall 18 and the end wall 19 of the casing 3 which encloses the entire unit.

a The vaporizer is supported within this chamber.41 and the air inlet opening 11 of the casing 3 is arranged directly over the vaporizer. Also, it will be noted that I have pro- Vided an additional wall 42 which is a continuation of the side wall 40 of the housing 24 and extends downwardly and underneath the housing to provide an additional means for preventing the cool air from coming into contact with the bottom portion of the motorcompressor-condenser unit 1. The refrigerant circulating tubes 8 and heat absorbing fins 9 transversely fill practically the entire side and bottom space of the cooling chamber 41 and provide a maximum amount of heat 7 ing through the opening 11.

It is to be noted here that in so far as certain aspects of this invention are concerned, it is not essential that the gas. liquefying means 1 and the heat absorbing means 2 be located within the same enclosing casing, as the said liquefying means might equally as well be placed in a different compartment of the space to be cooled or still further, in a different room of the building. In the latter case the connecting refrigerant conduits should be properly insulated so as to insure the eflicient operation of the system.

The vaporizer includes a vaporizer chamber or header; a refrigerant inlet valve; a float for controlling the same, so that a body of liquid refrigerant is maintained in the vaporizer; tubes bent to form loops and attached at both their ends to. the said header, so that the liquid refrigerant may circulate therethrough; and sheet metal plates or fins attached to the said tubes so as to increase the heat absorbing surfaces of the yaporizer.

The vaporizer expansion chamber or header 7 consists of a sheet metal side wall 43 closed at one end by a reentrant concave end wall 44. The opposite end is closed by a cast metal wall member which has a pe ripheral groove 46 formed therein for the reception of the edge portion of the sheet metal side wall 43. The end wall member 45 has an opening 47 provided therethrou h, which is closed by means of a. remova 1e plate 48. A refrigerant inlet opening or pas sage 49 is formed in the lower portion of the plate 48 which passage is in communication at its outer end with the liquid refrigerant conduit 34 and at its inner end with the interior space of the header 7. A float valve mechanism 50 is carried by the removable plate 48 and is arranged within the interior of the header. The float valve mechanism controls the flow of liquid refrigerant through this passage 49 and is so constructed and arranged as to maintain a predetermined level of liquid refrigerant within the header 7. The plate 48 is also provided with an outlet passage 51 which permits the escape of the refrigerant vapor from the upper portion of the header 7 to the refrigerant return conduit 33. A baffle plate 52 is carried by the end plate 48 and is arranged between the two passages 49 and 51 so as to prevent liquid refrigerant from splashing into the outletpassage with a resulting oss of efficiency, as would sometimes tend to result from the vigorous boiling of the refrigerant admitted by the float valve, if the baflle plate-were not provided.

In order to increase the heat conducting surfaces of the vaporizer 2 one or more pipes or expansion coils 8 are employed. Thesep'ipes may be of any shape or form and arranged in any suitable manner in so far as some aspects of the invention are concerned. However, in the preferred construction shown, the pipes or expansion coils 8 are arranged in two series of loops 53 and 54. In one series ofpipe loops 53 each pipe or coil has one end secured in the bottom of the chamber at the left of the center thereof, and extending downwardly, laterally and upwardly is secured in the ri ht side of-the chamber. In other; series 0 pipe loops 54, each pipe or coil has one end secured 1n the bottom of the chamber 43 at the right thereof, and extending downwardly laterally and upwardly is secured in the left side of the chamber. The connecting ends of the. tube loops communicate with the interior of the header at points below the level of liquid re frigerant so-as to insure the circulation'of the liquid through the loops. The loops are arranged inparallel planes at right an les to the chamber. this manner in order not to unnecessarily weaken the walls of the chamber 43 and also for the reason that this arrangement forms a space in which ice trays may be inserted, if

The pipes are arrange in" desired, when the unit is employed in refrig erators.

In order to further increase the heat conducting surfaces of the vaporizer I have vmetals, I prefer to use copper because, as is well known, it is easily worked and has high thermal conductivity.

The form of the device in Fig. 5 is substaninclusive except for adifl'erent'arrangement tially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 of the fan and a different form and arran ement of the heat conducting fins. In t is form the fan 55 is mounted in an opening 56 in the rear Wall of the casing 57 directly in rear of the vaporizer 58 so that it may direct a current of air along, through and about the vaporizer coils and out theopening 59 in the op osite side of the cooling chamber.

11 order to increase the heat conducting surface of the vaporizer, heat conducting members of any suitable form may be attached to the vaporizer in any convenient manner. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each U- shaped coil may be provided with a heat conducting plate or fin 60 extending from one side of the coil to the other. The heat conducting plates or fins 60, each are in turn divided as at 61 to form the fins 62, which are 1 bent at right angles to the main body portion of the plates or fins as clearly shown in Fig. 6; By arranging the fins edgewise to the direction of the current. they will offer a minimum amount of resistance to the passage of airthrough the vaporizer coils. While, in the present embodiment of the invention, the fins 62' are not actually in physical contact with the coils or loops extending from the header, they do contact or are-connected thermally with theloops through portions of the lates or fins 60 and are therefore affected y the temperature of the-loops in'much the same manner as would be the case were they in direct physical contact. For the purposes".

-of this invention it is apparent that the fins 62 might have been attached directly to the loops except that, when formed within a single sheet of metal, they are more easilymade and applied. As in the case of the first described form of vaporizer, the sheet metal and tubular parts of this last described form of vaporizer are preferably made of copper. In providing a thermally insulated cooling chamber, and in arranging within this chamber the refrigerant circulating tubes with their heat absorbing fins so that they transversely fill practically the entire space Within this chamber, I both. provide an adequate amount .of heat absorbing surface for the air to be cooled, and insure an effective guiding of the air over and in contact with the cooling surfaces. Furthermore, the heat conducting fins, particularly in the construction of Fig. 1, facilitate convection circulation of the air cooled.

While I have shown and described in some detail the preferred construction and preferred arrangement of parts, it will be understood that in all respects there can be wide variations without departing from the invention as defined in theappended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a refrigerating apparatus, a refrigerant reservoir, a tube comprising two leg portions connected by a bent portion and secured at both ends in open communication with said reservoir, and a heat absorbing member secured in intimate thermal contact with both leg portions of said tube.

2. In a refrigerating apparatus, a refrigerant reservoir, a tube bent into the form of g a loop and secured at both ends in open communication with said reservoir, and a heat absorbing member adapted to extend across and be secured in intimate, thermal contact to the legs of said tube on opposite sides of said loop.

3. In a refrigerating apparatus, a unitary mobile heat transfer structure consisting of a self supporting vaporizer housing having a lateral air passage therethrough, a vaporizer including a plurality of depending pipe l loops secured within said housing, and mechanical means for circulatlng air laterally.

through the passage in said housing.

l. In a refrigerating apparatus, a unitary mobile heat transfer structure consisting of '1 self supporting vaporizer housing having a lateral air passage therethrough, a vaporiZer including a plurality of depending pipe loops secured within said housing, and a fansecured to a Wall of said housing for circplating air laterally through the passage in said housing. r

5. In a refrigerating apparatus, a valve controlled refrigerant evaporating receptacle. piping-having its opposite ends connected to said receptacle and having parts thereof parallel to each, other, and spaced heat absorbing fins in thermal contact with said piping parts, at least a portion of said fins extending in a plane perpendicular to said piping parts.

6. In a refrigerating apparatus,a valve controlled refrigerant evaporating receptacle, niping having its ends connected in communication with said receptacle and having .parts thereof parallel to each other,I and spaced heat absorbing fins in thermal contact with said parallel piping parts,- the relationship, and spaced heat absorbing fins in thermal contact with said spaced parallel parts, the major portion of said fins being disposed in planes substantially perpendicular to said parallel parts.

, 8. In a refrigerating unit, a vaporizer comprising liquid refrigerant containing means, two refrigerant conduits connected at one end to said refrigerant containing means at different horizontal levels and connected together in open communication at their other ends, and a heat conducting fin connected to both of said conduits.

9. In a refrigerating unit, a vaporizer comprising a header adapted to contain liquid refrigerant, a tube loop connected at both ends to said header comprising spaced legs, and a metallic heat absorbing member connected to both of said legs! 10. In a refrigerating unit, a vaporizer comprising a header adapted to contain liquid refrigerant, two refrigerant conduits each connected at one\ end to said header and provided with spaced parallel portions, and connected together iniopen communication at their,other ends, and a substantially vertically disposed metallic heat absorbing member secured to the parallel portions of both of said conduits, said conduits and heat absorbing member being so arranged as to promote thecirculation of refrigerant through said conduits, and means for maintaining a quantity of liquid refrigerant in said header and conduits.

11. In a refrigeration unit, a vaporizer comprising a header adapted to contain refrigerant liquid, a liquid circulation tube loop connected at both ends to the header, and means in addition to the tube for inducing a circulation of air across the loop in a direction perpendicular thereto.

12. In a refrigeration unit, a vaporizer comprising a header adapted to contain refrigerant liquid, a liquid circulation tube loop connected at both ends to the header, av heat absorbing fin projecting normally from the tube loop, and means for inducing a circulaallel to the first named pi e to return to said tank the fluid passed t rough the first named pipe, a'heat absorbing fin extending perpendicularly to and in heat absorbing contact with each of said pipes, and means for conducting said fluid from the end of the first named ipe remote from said tank to the correspon ing end 'of the other pipe. 14. In a refrigeratin plant, a valve controlled evaporating ta opposite ends connected to said tank and ing parts thereof parallel to each other, heat I absorbing fins spaced along said parts perpendicularly thereto and in heat conducting contact therewith.

15. In a refrigeration unit, a vaporizer comprising a header adapted to contain refrigerant liquid, a tube loop connected at both ends to the header, and a heat oonduct-\ ing fin associated with one of the legs of the loop and projecting in a plane substantially perpendicular to said one of the legs for increasing the heat absorbing capacity thereof.

prising a refrigerant conveying duct having a spaced pair of parallel sections; and a mesignature. piping havingl its 21; Ina refrigerating apparatus, a. heat transfer structure comprising a vaporizer inn cludin a glurality of depending pipe loops, heat a sor said 100 s, and mechanical means for circulating t a air laterally past said pipe loops and' in contact therewith.

In testimony whereof'I hereunto .afixmy JOHN- R. REPLOGLE.

tallic fin extending between said sections and thermally contacting therewith along the length of said tube sections.

18. A refrigerant evaporating unit com-v I prising a refrigerant conveyingducthaving a spaced pair of parallel sections, and a metallic fin extending between said sections and thermally contacting therewith along the length of said tube sections and fin, said fin having successive sections disposed in planes intersecting the axes of said tube sections.

19. A refrigerating mechanism comprising a refrigerating compartment for the circulation of a coolingfiuid therein, a plurality of refrigerant evaporating conduits in saidcom artment, said conduits being disposed in a p ane substantially perpendicular to the path of movement of the cooling fluid in said compartment, and fins disposed in thermal contact with said conduits, the surface of said fins being substantially aligned with the path of movement of thecircu the surface thereof.

20. A refrigerant evaporating unit comprising a plurality of substantially parallel refrigerant conveying ducts, said ducts being arranged in roups disposed in intersecting planes, fins ating air whereby the air will heat said fins by movement along isposed in perpendicular rela-v tion to said conduits and in thermal co ntacttherewith, and means common to all of said conduits for supplying refrigerant fluid thereto.

ing'fins in thermal contact with 

